Admittedly, when many of us pick the next airline to fly with we have only one thought on our mind (thankfully, the old question of ‘how’s this airline’s safety record?’ rarely needs asking these days)…’which is cheapest?’
But on those occasions when prices are all but equal, or when you feel a little burned by a bad experience from the last cheapest airline you went with, it’s worth knowing how airlines shape up against one another in the customer satisfaction stakes.
You won’t go far wrong if you pick any of the airlines shortlisted for the Passenger Choice Awards (the winners will be picked on Sept. 17, 2012).
The Passenger Choice Awards are great because they’re based on a year-long survey of passengers’ travel experiences. Categories range from Best Cabin Ambiance and Best Inflight Video to awards for the best overall airline in the five regions of the world.
Check out the finalists in each category below. Effectively the survey is running constantly, so it’s a decent barometer of how airline performances rise and fall. The voting for next year’s awards kicked off on July 1.
Best Overall Passenger Experience (Up to 50 Inflight Entertainment equipped planes)
- AIR NEW ZEALAND
- KINGFISHER AIRLINES
- SRILANKAN AIRLINES
- TACA INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES
- VIRGIN AMERICA
- VIRGIN ATLANTIC
Best Overall Passenger Experience (Over 50 Inflight Entertainment equipped planes)
- AVIANCA
- CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS
- EMIRATES
- GARUDA INDONESIA
- SINGAPORE AIRLINES
Best in Region: Africa
- ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES
- SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS
Best in Region: Americas
- AVIANCA
- JETBLUE
- LAN AIRLINES
- TACA INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES
- VIRGIN AMERICA
Best in Region: Asia and Australasia
- AIR NEW ZEALAND
- CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS
- KINGFISHER AIRLINES
- SINGAPORE AIRLINES
- SRILANKAN AIRLINES
Best in Region: Europe
- BRITISH AIRWAYS
- NORWEGIAN
- SWISS INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES
- TURKISH AIRLINES
- VIRGIN ATLANTIC
Best in Region: Middle East
- EMIRATES
- ETIHAD AIRWAYS
- GULF AIR
- OMAN AIR
- QATAR AIRWAYS
Best Inflight Publication
- AIR ASTANA
- AVIANCA
- GARUDA INDONESIA
- SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
- V AUSTRALIA/VIRGIN AUSTRALIA
- VIRGIN AMERICA
Best Inflight Entertainment User Interface
- AVIANCA
- CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS
- EMIRATES
- VIRGIN AMERICA
- VIRGIN ATLANTIC
Best Inflight Connectivity & Communications
- EMIRATES
- GULF AIR
- NORWEGIAN
- OMAN AIR
- VIRGIN AMERICA
Best Inflight Video
- AIR NEW ZEALAND
- KINGFISHER AIRLINES
- SRILANKAN AIRLINES
- TURKISH AIRLINES
- VIRGIN AMERICA
Best Cabin Ambiance
- AIR NEW ZEALAND
- KINGFISHER AIRLINES
- SINGAPORE AIRLINES
- VIRGIN AMERICA
- VIRGIN ATLANTIC
Best Food & Beverage
- EMIRATES
- SINGAPORE AIRLINES
- SRILANKAN AIRLINES LTD.
- TURKISH AIRLINES
- VIRGIN ATLANTIC
Best Ground Experience
- AIR NEW ZEALAND
- JET AIRWAYS
- KINGFISHER AIRLINES
- VIRGIN AMERICA
- VIRGIN ATLANTIC
Written by insider city guide series Hg2 | A Hedonist’s guide to…
(Image: Matthias Rhomberg)
